After dropped UAW appeal, VW urged to focus on making, selling cars

FILE - In this March 21, 2012, file photo, workers walk by the Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. Workers at the plant will decide in a three-day vote Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, whether they want to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, file)

After two years of union organizing at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant, a hard-fought worker vote and a bruising appeal cut short on Monday, the automaker was urged to refocus on assembling and selling cars.

"If you look at VW sales, they're lackluster at the moment," said Cars.com chief analyst Jesse Toprak. "There has been more talk about organized labor than making cars people want to buy."

Sales at VW are lagging. Through March, Volkswagen of America reported the company sold 10,855 fewer vehicles than the same period a year ago, down 11.1 percent.

The Chattanooga-made Passat's sales are off 6.3 percent, even with increased advertising for its clean-diesel version.